The History of Court House Farm

A brief story about the site from local historian Sandy

Where do we start….its believed that there was a community here pre doomsday, with important wells on the site drawing people together, lay lines and water running through the ground add thought provoking ‘mystique’ according to some…..there was almost certainly a monastic community very early on and the Grade 1 listed 12th century church St Peters next door was obviously built to serve a growing population. ( it celebrates its 700 year anniversay this year!)

Possibly the 1st Lord who built an ealier Manor was William Le Brett, who was mentioned in the Domesday book as being Lord of the Manor of Portishead in Norman times. of course there are many strories about the old place, theories about the hidden tunnel which either runs from Court House farm to the 12th Century Saint Peter's Church next door, or to a well known hostelry in the high street. (Ssshhh! We can confirm that the tunnel really does exist, although sadly it is currently filled in).

There is still much else to uncover (and, yes, one day we'll dig out the tunnel), but what we do know is that the land Court House Farm and its neighbour Springfield Farm (now one) sit on is, according to experts, a classic medieval site. The small Manor House dates from this period and was probably very much larger originally as its early timber elements are now long gone. The bigger attached Tower House once a Court House, dates from the Tudor period and its Hexagonal Tower is a later ‘flamboyant' addition in the 1800s which it is believed Edward Morgan, a wealthy merchant, built so as to keep an eye on his ships as they sailed the channel. Some still regard it as a perfect lookout...( please see more detailed history in the linked article below)